Marisawright

Very true

Sorry you are correct, I found the posts I was thinking of and they were partners of Kiwis

My most important tip - don't close your Australian bank account or cancel your Australian credit cards, because you'll find you need it for a while after you move back. There are always a few bills or refunds you forget about. Besides, though you can open a British bank account on the day you arrive (just go to one of the big banks with your passport), it can take weeks before you can withdraw any money! That's because you need to make an appointment with a bank official, prove your residency, and then wait for your cards to arrive. One way to speed it up is this: five or six weeks before you go, tell your bank you're moving to the UK and give them a UK address (a friend or family member). Don't use "care of" or include your friend's name - just your name at the address, as if it's yours. Then make sure your credit card statements are set so they are printed and posted to you, not emailed. That way, when you arrive, you'll have a credit card statement waiting for you at your friend's address. That means you can get an appointment with the bank in your first week and offer that statement as proof of residency (you just need to keep a straight face if they ask you to confirm you live there). If you don't do that, then you'll have to wait until you find a place to live and receive a bill there, which can obviously take weeks. (Note: I've seen one or two people who've been able to open accounts without that rigmarole, but I think they've been lucky in dealing with a small bank branch that doesn't know the rules. With the new money laundering laws, it's actually illegal for them to give you an account without going through the process)

I'm afraid that doesn't exist. PomsinOz is really the best source of such information that you'll find, I'm afraid. If you can share what occupations you're in, what your expectations are for lifestyle, and what your budget is, then I'm sure there will be many people who can offer useful advice. For instance, if you're in a senior corporate role, then you're pretty much limited to Sydney or Melbourne. If you're a tradie, teacher, doctor or nurse, then your options are wide open and you're more likely to get a good quality of life in a smaller city or town rather than any of the capitals. It's unusual for someone to want to come to Australia and have absolutely no idea which part of it they'd like to live in. What's motivating the move in that case?

Be aware that if you apply onshore, you won't be able to work until the visa is granted. Onshore visas take a LOT longer than offshore now - we've got people on the forum who've been waiting for 2 years. And of course, you're not entitled to any unemployment benefits either. Do you have savings to support you for that whole period? I agree that you'd be wiser to apply for the partner visa offshore. It will be a wait but it's much shorter than onshore. Could you bring family over to provide support at the birth? I hope you'll forget the onshore idea, this is my understanding: as Paul Hand said, it's not illegal to arrive on a tourist visa with the intention of applying for a permanent visa. However, it is illegal to arrive on a tourist visa with the intention of staying permanently. What that means is, the Immigration Officer has to decide whether he thinks you're an obedient person who'll leave the country if your visa is refused (in which case you'll be let through), or if you might be tempted to stay on regardless (in hwich case you'll be deported). It's up to that officer on the day, no appeal. I don't think you need that kind of stress and uncertainty in your current circumstances!

No, you won't know until you get the visa. Why do you want to apply while you're onshore?

The OP was looking at moving to the Central Coast to be near her boys who live in Cronulla. I've explained that it's on the wrong side of Sydney.

Is he talking about UK tax or Australian tax? I know about Australian tax and you'd get several deductions so it wouldn't be 37% tax, I don't think. Firstly, how old is your property? It may be too old to claim depreciation on the fabric, but what about the internals? There is a company in the UK that does depreciation reports, Alan Collett (on these forums) can point you in the right direction. If you can find some depreciation to claim as an expense, that would reduce the tax bill (on a new or near-new property, it can wipe out the tax liability altogether, which is why Labor wants to abolish negative gearing - it's a rort!). You can claim letting agent's fees, insurance and minor repairs, plus mortgage interest, as tax deductions. Major repairs would have to be claimed as depreciation (i.e. spread over a few years). If you're moving temporarily to Cairns and don't buy a home there, then your UK house will be classed as your primary residence for up to 6 years. https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Capital-gains-tax/Your-home-and-other-real-estate/Your-main-residence/Treating-a-dwelling-as-your-main-residence-after-you-move-out/

If you are buying it for your parents to live in, it won't count as an "investment property" for tax purposes in Australia, even if they pay you rent. You'll have to declare all the income on your Australian tax return but you won't be able to claim any of the expenses.

My immediate worry would be the risk of not getting a job when you return. My experience is that Australia is ageist so once you're over 55, it's hard to get back into the workforce. However if you reckon the London experience would be enough to offset that, then I think you'd be absolutely bonkers not to accept it. I say that because it sounds as though you might miss your opportunity altogether if you don't go now. Waiting till you've retired and then going back to the UK isn't as easy as you might think. For one thing, while your superannuation pension won't be taxed in Australia, it will be taxed in the UK. So will your Australian government pension ( assuming you can even claim it, which is doubtful for various reasons). You won't get any British pension to offset those losses. And both will be subject to the vagaries of the exchange rate. If, on the other hand, you go back now, there's every chance you could get a further job offer in London at the end of your contract, so if you're enjoying it, you could potentially stay in the UK right up until you're ready to retire. At that point, depending on how the finances work out, you might have to return to Australia - but you'll have your superannuation and you'll still be eligible for the Australian govt pension, so you've lost nothing. As you say, you may have to return to Australia by that time anyway, because of your mum. So I would grab the window while you have it.

Very true. I bit my tongue at the comment but I used to be married to a teacher and I felt he earned his "long holidays". The school day is short, but after that you've got marking students' work and lesson preparation to do, plus extra duties like supervising detention and Saturday sports. During term-time he worked a 6-day week, so I felt like he was due the longer holidays just as time in lieu.

LinkedIn is an important resource

Real estate agents won't let you sign a lease if you (or your representative) haven't seen the property. Most migrants book a holiday cabin or AirBnB for four weeks when they first arrive. That may sound like a long time, but many properties are only "open for inspection" on Saturdays, so effectively you may get only four days to look at places. Realestate.com.au is run by real estate agents for real estate agents, and it's wise to remember that agents make their money from sellers, not buyers, so they are not always acting in your best interest. This is the Foreign Investment Review Board website (they're the body you have to apply to before you're allowed to buy a property - and of course, they charge a fee!) http://firb.gov.au/ Here's a calculator for the extra stamp duty: https://stampduty.calculatorsaustralia.com.au/stamp-duty-qld

It's up to you, but it is a lot of extra money to shell out for nothing. Someone who posted recently said it cost them an extra $40,000 in fees and duty, compared to someone who has PR. Two real estate websites dominate the Australian market: domain.com.au and realestate.com.au. If you want to check out reviews of suburbs, check Homely.com.au Be aware that real estate agents are shameless about doctoring photos, so don't set too much store by what you see!

If you're going to do the packing, then you can ask for the boxes to be delivered any time, as far in advance as you like. Some companies won't insure the contents if you do the packing so consider that. If you get a Movecube then it gets delivered in the morning and picked up that evening. If it's not ready to collect, you pay extra. So you have to have everything ready (to the point of taping off a section of the floor in your house and actually doing a trial pack of the Cube). With a container, ask your removalist how much time they include in their quote. Some companies do offer a DIY service, where you load your own container, but frankly I'm not sure I'd take that on.

Congratulations! If you're British and you lived in the UK immediately before arriving in Australia, you'll be covered by the reciprocal agreement. That means you're covered by Medicare for any treatment which can't wait until you get home to the UK (the fact you're not planning to return to the UK is not considered relevant). If you're young and fit that may well cover most of your needs, but remember it doesn't cover dental, optical or ambulance at all. You need health insurance for those. Also be aware that if you want to buy a property, you will have to get special permission (because you'll be classed as a foreign buyer) and also pay a lot of extra duty. On balance, you'll probably be better off to stay renting until you get your PR.

As you're only up on the Gold Coast, I suggest your best plan is to come down to Sydney for a week. It's almost impossible to work it out from a distance, but you'll be able to judge some suburbs just by driving around. An awful lot of Sydney is faceless dormitory suburbs. They can be leafy and green but there are hardly any shops, no pubs and no cafés. You'll soon spot those! Lindfield and Gordon are both nice middle-class North Shore suburbs so I'm sure the schools would be fine. If you see affordable housing in those areas, check the distance to the railway station. I wouldn't call Bella Vista "North Shore". It's Hills District. A long way from the city but popular with young families. Homely.com.au has reviews of suburbs

She came on a temp visa knowing full well this could happen, no sympathy.

The staff are snowed under, with thousands of applications in the queue and no extra manpower to help, and the man in charge is an immigration minister who doesn't like immigrants.

I suggest going and getting some quotes from a few insurers first. Medicare isn't that different from the NHS - if you've got something life-threatening you'll get looked after, but if you need a knee replacement you could be waiting a year or more. As we age, we tend to need more of those "elective" things done, so private health can be worth having, IF it's not going to be too expensive. Be aware, though, that Medicare doesn't cover dentistry or optical so you either pay in full for that, or you need "Extras" cover. It also doesn't cover ambulance. I have medical insurance, my husband doesn''t. It meant he had to pay for his cataract operation (because he wasn't prepared to wait for months and months), but otherwise he's never had any problems getting good treatment.

So you have three brothers still in Australia? Do you have other family still in the UK? If most of your family is still in Australia, it might be worth a try. However you will need a good migration agent to help you prepare a case.

If someone leaves the company before the two years are up, the employer is likely to report him/her to Immigration and they would lose their visa. After all , the company paid a lot of fees and put in a lot of work to get that visa, so they will be annoyed if the person does not fulfil their side. I think that is pretty clear. However, you are not leaving, you just want to take time off, which you are legally entitled to as a permanent employee with more than 12 months' service. So in theory, it should not be a problem. However, I would not rely on that logic. I suggest you consult a reputable migration agent for advice - relying on advice in a forum on such an important matter is risky. How do you think your employer is going to react? Are they likely to be annoyed and make life difficult for you or do you think they'll be reasonable? Bear in mind you must give your employer at least 10 weeks' notice before you can take the leave.

The name "permanent resident" is a bit misleading - permanent doesn't quite mean permanent, because if you leave the country for too long, you lose the right to go back. To be allowed to return, you will need to apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV), but after all this time, it's unlikely you would get one. You see, to get a RRV, you need to demonstrate that you still have "strong ties to Australia" and it doesn't sound like you have any. Otherwise your only hope is to find out if you'd be eligible to apply for a new skilled visa.

It doesn't matter where she applied from, it's one big queue for the whole of Australia. Good to hear your friend's application seems close to resolution after less than four years, but she applied in 2015. Everything has changed since then. There was a huge increase in the number of people applying. There are many thousands of applications in the queue and only a few thousand are approved each year. https://www.sbs.com.au/radio/article/2016/06/02/settlement-guide-parent-visas-cost-time-and-money I don't think she should have got a blue Medicare card, because she would not be entitled to one. However I have heard of other cases where a card has been issued. I suspect it is a mistake by staff at the local office and she was lucky.

I have noticed a high refusal rate on the forums, but usually it's a problem with the employer's part of the application, not the employee's. So I'd say the most important thing is to ensure that the employer is using a reputable MARA registered agent. You can both use the same agent but it's usually recommended for the employee to use a separate one, to avoid any conflict of interest.